<Begin Segment 21>

AI: Okay, well, today's September 16, 2004, and we're continuing our interview with Peggie Bain. Peggie, I, last time, yesterday, when we ended, you were just telling us about returning back to your folks' farm with your two kids, Jim and Pat. But I wanted to back up in time now, because just a bit earlier, you were remembering something from much earlier when you were a child, the 1918 flu epidemic. And I was wondering if we could go back in time to that time and tell us what that was like. What, what you had to do when the flu epidemic came to the area.

PB: Well, it was shortly after we had moved over from Island, Vashon Island, and I remember that there was this terrible flu epidemic, and everybody had to wear masks. I suppose that we didn't go to school or anything for a while, we had, everybody was told to stay in and don't go out. And I remember it so distinctly because our neighbor had a little baby that died from the flu, and we were able to go over and see the baby, and it was in a tiny little casket, and I was thinking, "Oh, how sad." And it was really horrifying because so many thousands of people were dying. And, of course, that was the war years, too, but I don't remember anything about the war. [Laughs] I do remember about the flu.

AI: About how old were you then, when the flu epidemic --

PB: I must have been only about eight years old.

AI: So as an eight-year-old child, you weren't very aware of World War I, but certainly the flu made a big impression.

PB: And especially, I don't know why, but a person dying really seemed to hit me real hard, for some reason. I remember that very distinctly, 'cause even when I was on the Island when our neighbor passed away... she was a very lovely person, her name was Margaret, same as mine. And I remember seeing her in the casket, and she had so many pink roses, and they said that she was going to be put in the mausoleum in Tacoma, and I just remember that so distinctly.

AI: Well, speaking of the name Margaret, how did you come to get that name?

PB: I was thinking about that this morning, and I think my dad said that I was named after the mayor's daughter, and I believe he worked for the mayor. He worked as a schoolboy for a while, when he came to this country, and he said the daughter's name was Margaret. So that's how I got my name Margaret, but I didn't get it until I think about ten years later. I must have been around ten years old when the name Margaret was added.

AI: Do you recall what, the mayor of what town that was that your father was, had worked for?

PB: No, I don't. I don't remember, I just remember him saying that I was named after the daughter of the mayor, I believe it was. I'm not sure, but I just remember him saying that.

AI: That's interesting.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.